Fern Flaman

Fern Flaman

Retired player. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Fan letter sent: November 21, 2008.

Autographs received: November 29, 2008.

It only took eight days round trip for me to get this card back from Fern Flaman. He neatly folded my letter around the card so as to keep it from getting damaged in the mail.

Richard Shulmistra

Richard Shulmistra

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: November 7, 2008.

Autographs received: November 28, 2008.

Richard Shulmistra played ten years of pro hockey. Most of it was spent in the AHL or IHL, but he did play one game for the New Jersey Devils (1997-1998) and one game for the Florida Panthers (1999-2000). He played 29 games for the Chicago Wolves (IHL) during the 2000-2001 season, which is where I remember him best.

Shulmistra is a goalie coach for Huron Hockey School. He signed my card and added a short note that says Thanks for the support! All the best

Jarkko Ruutu

Jarkko Ruutu

Currently with the Ottawa Senators.

Fan letter sent: November 7, 2008.

Autographs received: November 22, 2008.

Nice! Fifteen days to get my cards to and from Ottawa, Canada. Jarkko Ruutu is the brother of Carolina Hurricanes' forward Tuomo Ruutu.

Adrian Aucoin

Adrian Aucoin

Currently with the Calgary Flames.

Fan letter sent: October 25, 2008.

Autographs received: November 22, 2008.

I recently picked up a bunch of common cards from the 2000-01 Upper Deck Vintage set, and will now focus on getting cards signed from this retro-looking series. My first success in this set is none other than former Chicago Blackhawks' captain Adrian Aucion.

Aucoin sent back my cards signed in about a month. He is consistently fan-friendly when it comes to signing through the mail. I previously wrote to him during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, and both times were also successful.

Anze Kopitar

Anze Kopitar

Currently with the Los Angeles Kings.

Fan letter sent: October 14, 2008.

Autographs received: November 21, 2008.

How awesome is it to get two autographed cards from one of the NHL's brightest young stars? Very awesome, I tell you! I got these cards back from Kopitar in around five weeks. Apparently, the success of being a star in the NHL at a young age has not gone to his head.

Henri Richard

Henri Richard

Retired player. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979.

Fan letter sent: November 7, 2008.

Autographs received: November 17, 2008.

This is the second time that I have written to Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard--and the second time he has gone above and beyond. He signed my three cards and also added a Molson Export card (kneeling with Stanley Cup) and a signed postcard. Last year, Richard signed my two cards and enclosed a Molson card, a Fleer Greats of the Game card and a postcard. Mr. Richard is truly one of the nicest players you can ever write to.

Brent Sutter

Brent Sutter

Currently the Head Coach of the New Jersey Devils.

Fan letter sent: November 7, 2008.

Autographs received: November 14, 2008.

Brent Sutter is both fan-friendly and reliable. The first time I wrote to him, I got my cards back, nicely signed, in twelve days--some of those days being New Years Eve and New Years Day. This time around, it only took seven days. Sutter doesn't waste any time.

Reg Kerr

Reg Kerr

Retired player.

Autographs received in person on November 3, 2008.

On November 3 of this year, my girlfriend Shellie and I went to a Chicago Blackhawks game. I knew ahead of time that retired 'Hawks player Reggie "Reg" Kerr would be signing autographs before the game and during intermission. Before going to our seats, we waited in line and got three cards signed--the last one being from the 1983-84 Moncton Alpines team set. During that season, Kerr was teammates with future Blackhawk Steve Smith.

During first intermission, I went back to get a signed photo from Kerr--photos were provided if you didn't have anything of your own to get signed. I'm glad I went back, because the photo shows Kerr fending off Gordie Howe, while Dave Keon skates up from behind. Intrigued by this photo, I struck up a conversation with Kerr:

"It looks like you're beating Gordie Howe at his own game, getting your elbows up on him like that," I said.

"Yeah," replied a smiling Kerr, "but that's always a dangerous thing to do."

"So, you got the better of him that night, then?" I continued.

"See Gordie's hand grabbing my shoulder?" asked Kerr. "He probably flipped me on my head right after this picture was taken."

We both got a good laugh out of that one. I shook Kerr's hand, and thanked him for the signed photograph.